Epiphany
by radiantlyregal
Summary: In an effort to overthrow the White kingdom, the Mills make their daughter, Regina, go to a ball being thrown by the Whites for Emma's 16th birthday, to find an easy spot of weakness. At this ball Regina meets Emma, and after talking with her, realizes that she may be that weakness.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Hey babes! This is an idea I've had for quite a while and I finally decided to write out the first chapter! I hope you enjoy it! Please leave feedback in the comments on your thoughts, I appreciate comments very much! Much love!

"Charming, I need to speak with you about something," Queen Snow, after finally building up enough courage, hesitantly spoke.

"I can see your mind in filled with worry, what troubles you so, my dear?" Charming replied, after politely chewing his last bite of salmon, so his mouth wasn't full.

"You're aware that Emma's 18th birthday is coming up in two weeks, for we have already planned it most entirely,"

Charming nodded in acknowledgement, "Of course my love, a ball fit for a soon to be queen, with plenty of handsome, eligible princes attending, and a beautiful game of wild swan."

"Right my dear. See, what I wanted to speak to you about is just that, the people attending," Snow continued, still hemming and hawing of asking her question.

"Go on." Charming encouraged.

"Well, I know how were not on good terms with the Mills kingdom, but they have a daughter of Emma's age and I just thought that maybe we should invite her, I would feel terrible not inviting her just because of the feud existing between her parents and ourselves."

Charming smiled lovingly, "My dear Snow, your heart is of pure gold. The Mills are a greedy people with the darkest hearts known, and yet you still want to reach out to them, and would feel bad for not inviting the girl. I think we should invite her, I'm sure she would love to come."

Snow breathed a sigh of relief. "I hoped you would agree. I'll have an invitation sent out at once."

She reached out and grabbed his hand on top of the table and gave it a squeeze, " Emma's going to love the ball," she assured, while smiling.

Emma's going to hate the ball.

She had been dreading the event ever since her parents told her of it the past week.

A poofy dress, having to feast on swan, her favorite animal of which she would rather starve than eat, men eyeing her up and down, men asking her to dance and her having to accept, men.

Don't get her wrong, she didn't completely hate men, she just hated the ones she knew she was going to encounter; ones that didn't want to rule with her, but over her, ones that wanted to wed just for a kingdom, not out of love.

There would be women there to of course, but Emma wasn't much of a social being, and the women that had come to her past balls had only spoke to her about important matters, like their studies and preparation for being an heir, dresses, and hair, nothing fun, no joking around, as Emma had learned the embarrassingly hard way. Never crack a joke about pink frilly dresses in a group of princesses with at least half of them in said attire, or prepare to have noses turned up at you and be scoffed at.

Emma sort of disliked the whole human race, from what she'd met of it, so she wasn't sure if she'd ever meet someone she didn't feel like narrowing her eyebrows in disgust at and awkwardly smiling to hopefully cover up. Well, excepting her.

Emma decided to take a rest on thinking about the ball and sat her brush down on her desk and then began to examine her face in her mirror in front of her.

Her skin was pale like porcelain but her cheeks were full of soft pink hues, as were her lips, which were dainty and thin in shape.

Her eyes were a green color that reminded her of the soft dewy grass in the morning, when it shined in response to the sunrise.

Her hair, was a wild, blonde, tangled, mess if not tamed every morning. She had just taken control of it with the brush and a natural product that her mother had given her, so it was, quite beautifully, laying down out of her face.

A knock suddenly sounded at the door, which startled Emma out of her examination.

"It's just me," a sweet voice, that belonged to her mother, announced from the other side of the door.

"Come in, mother," Emma replied, as she turned in her chair to face the door, of which her mother would be entering.

Her mother came in the room and gently shut the door behind her.

She proceeded to walk over to Emma and sit on her bed which Emma was directly facing, and placed her hand on her daughters knee, while grinning up at her.

Emma grinned back.

"Good evening, mother, are you well?"

"Good evening to you, dear, yes, I'm quite well. Did you have your dinner sent to your room to eat alone?" Snow asked, glancing around for a food tray.

"Oh, no, I wasn't all too hungry, I ate a rather large lunch today with ruby, so I decided to pass on supper tonight."

Snow nodded in understanding, "Well, darling there is something I wanted to tell you about during supper tonight, do you mind if we talk about it now?"

"Of course not," Emma replied.

Snow smiled and began, " The Mills family have a daughter around your age did you know of this?"

Emma's cheeks blushed and she began to hear her own heart beating in her chest, " Um yes, I mean, I've heard of her, but never met her of course, I don't even know her name or how she looks."

Snow, oblivious to the minor change in her daughter demeanor continued, "Well, your father and I have agreed on inviting her to your ball, would this be alright with you? We're trying to overlook our feud going on with her parents to give her the chance of coming, I'm sure she would enjoy it, after all, shes not a part of our fighting."

Emma's heart was quite literally about to fly out of her chest and into the sunset.

"Yes of course, that'd be beautiful, I mean great, or alright with me, that is."

Snow narrowed her eyebrows slightly, confused by her daughters sudden inability to speak, but decided to ignore it, it was late, she was probably just tired.

"Oh, good! I'll have to have her invitation sent out tonight, all of the others already have."

Snow leaned in to give Emma a quick hug and kiss on the forehead and then began walking towards the door.

Emma stood quickly and called after her mother.

Snow turned around with a questioning look.

"Do you by chance know her name?" Emma asked hesitantly.

Snow smiled, "It's Regina."

Emma returned the grin, "goodnight mother."

Her mother left and Emma walked to her side of her bed, and gently pulled her covers down and got in. With her silky sheets pulled up around her and a soft dreamy look on her face, she closed her eyes and whispered the name of the beautiful girl she'd been dying to know, "Regina."

( Earlier that day )

"Emma, I have never seen you to be so obsessed with another human being," Ruby stated, laughing from her spot on the picnic blanket.

Emma rolled her eyes, and continued to look up at the clouds, "Not obsessed. Intrigued. Entranced, in-"

"Love?" Ruby interrupted, holding back a snicker.

Emma huffed. "Whatever. I just think she's beautiful, but more than that. she looked so peaceful, and free, and determined and bold. She was riding that horse with the most beautiful skill I-

"Wish she were riding you?"

Emma blushed hotly and she shot up to sitting and narrowed her eyes at Ruby.

"You're incorrigible- and being insane, she's a girl."

"And?" Ruby questioned.

"And she's not a boy." Emma deadpanned.

Ruby sat up too.

"Okay kiddo,but you're obviously attracted to her."

"I am not. I... appreciate her." Emma responded coldly.

Ruby rose her eyebrows.

"You _appreciate_ her? Oh boy. Couldn't even say admire like a normal human being, you're in deep."

Emma frowned, "Whatever, Ruby. Anyways, I've never even met her and probably never will, so it doesn't even matter."

"You're right on the 'probably never will'. Shes the Mills' daughter. You know, sworn enemies of your parents."

"What?!" Emma gasped.

Ruby smirked, "Oh but, what does it matter, you've never even met her, and, get this, shes a _girl_. A girl who you just _appreciate_."

Emma rolled her eyes and huffed as she lay back down on the blanket.

 _A girl who you just appreciate. A girl who you just appreciate. A girl who you just appreciate._


	2. Chapter 2

Open air and open fields.

That's all Regina needed to feel peaceful for at least a little while until she got home from her ride. Until she got home and inevitably got scolded for smelling of Rocinante, her horse and dearest, if not only, friend.

But for now, she felt a cool breeze and saw the sun rising across the tree tops, nothing in the world could make her feel more at harmony with her feelings and thoughts. Nothing would do a better job at keeping her mind from wondering of what new scheme her mother was surely brewing up at her home.

Regina rode Rocinante until the sun had completely risen in the sky, and until she could see the castle of the royal family her mother despised with every fiber of her being; the Whites. The castle was lovely, no one could deny how magnificent the white kingdom shone in the sunlight, and how it even seemed to have a glow at moonlight.

Regina had been brought up by her mother with all intentions of shoving the hatred she had long bared with the white kingdom down her throat, but only halfway succeeded. Regina had a mind of her own, as most do and certainly should, and couldn't find reason to hate the family just because they were more wealthy and liked than her own. She had met her own mother, obviously, and knew that at times it was certainly straining to feel any fondness for her at all, and thought it made sense that they were less liked because of such observations as this.

However, as much as she despised her mother's relentless negativity, greed and sharp tongue, she wanted nothing more than to feel like she made her proud. She wanted her to appraise her rather than demeaning her any chance she got. She wanted to feel loved and genuinely appreciated.

Her father showed he loved her at times, but real love should be felt all the time, not just from behind closed doors so her mother couldn't scold him and tell him he spoiled her or that he was too soft.

Regina wanted to feel that real love so badly, she would do anything to make her mother happy.

Whilst Regina was in the fields, riding Rocinante near the White Castle, Emma was out sitting in a spot in the grass, overlooking the vast fields.

She never missed a sunrise, to her it was one of the most beautiful things mother nature had to offer.

However, today she decided to change her location to a spot in a field far right of the castle, rather than far left. The fields seen on this side of the castle were far greater, but scarce of much bright color, or many trees. The only trees featured here were those of the Forbidden Forest, far off in the distance, which shielded the sight of the Mills Castle.

She wondered often of how the castle of her mother's rival looked, and even more often of how the people inside it were like. Well, one person more so than the others.

No one knew how the feud had started between the two families, and if they did, no one spoke a word of it to Emma. There were always warnings given to stay away from the family to not be deceived, and tales of failed attempts made by Cora Mills to try and make a go at the Whites, but never why the hatred originated from.

She'd heard stories of course on how the Mills were greedy, only seemed to care for themselves, and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted, but she had never had a first account witnessing of them.

Of the stories she heard, the Mills' daughter had always piqued her attention the most. Yet, very little was known of her since her parents had nothing to do with the family. All she knew was that she was the same age as herself, she liked horses, and was rather charismatic, but was sly and cunning like her parents. And even these things could be a distortion as her sources came from other families who despised the Mills as much as her parents.

As Emma sat deep in thought, the sun was rising in the sky, and Regina came into view far off in the fields.

Emma squinted her eyes to see it was a girl with dark hair riding on a horse, but couldn't make out any facial features.

Where Emma sat, Regina couldn't see her, but Emma was able to watch her.

As Regina got closer to where Emma was sitting and watching, Emma was able to make out her face more clearly, and Emma was nothing short of entranced.

The brunette girl had a look of pure peace on her face, the corners of her mouth were turned up very subtly, and her long hair was flying behind her, disheveled like it had fallen from being up, but so very beautiful.

Emma watched until the girl turned and headed back to the forest she came from, with a dreamy expression on her face, not paying mind to this forest leading to none other than the home of the Mills family.

"Regina, darling, you smell of a horse's ass," Cora scolded as Regina stumbled through the great dining room doors.

"Mother, I've only just walked in, there is no way you could already smell Rocinante on me, unless you'd like to confess to being half canine?" Regina responded coldly, while taking her seat at the seat left to her mother.

Cora made an unamused grunting noise and decided to ignore her daughters smart comment.

She began to speak again just as Regina's father made an appearance through the dining room doors and made his way to his seat, to the right of his wife who occupied the head of the table.

"What have I told you about riding before breakfast, it certainly doesn't put anyone in the mood for a meal. Tell her Henry."

Both Cora and Regina's head turned to the man, waiting expectantly for a reply.

The man cleared his throat as he made his decision to defend his daughter, "Cora my dear, you know how Regina enjoys her morning rides. She does much for us in the day, and is very studious, I think she deserves a bit of time to herself in the mornings."

Regina grinned at her father fondly.

"Hmm, yes, well, see to it that you spray a scent on before entering the dining hall again in the mornings, I'd rather not smell sweat and manure while eating liver and eggs."

"Yes, mother," Regina replied, while picking at her meal.

Oh what she would give to ride off into that sunset and never look back.


End file.
